I much prefer Rugosa Jubilee for similar color and more reliable hip production. To be fair, my PP plant is in a rather shady spot, but so is Jubilee (right next to each other), and PP was planted a year before and had better initial growing conditions. Jubilee had very difficult initial conditions, including the very rough shipping, yet survived and thrived, bloomed and set hips its first year. PP has flowered very little in 2 years and has not set any hips. The flowers can be a strikingly gorgeous color, but most of the time are not and are also kind of messy looking. I prefer the clean, simple elegance of the flowers of Jubilee and the color is just as good, if not better. I might end up taking PP out. In spite of the shade, both of these rugosa's foliage is beautiful and disease free.
I have a seedling of Purple Pavement that bloomed for the first time this spring. It looks like a typical rugosa (and has begun to sucker already), and is identical in all respects to PP except it is pure white. It is probably a self-pollinated seedling (there are no other rugosas nearby). I don't know yet if it will rebloom but it is a pretty rose.
It is a very nice rose indeed. It blooms more than my Purple Pavement, probably because of its location - in all day blistering sun with reflected heat off the pavement (PP is in a little more than half day sun). The blooms do not crisp :). It looks an identical twin to Purple Pavement (bloom size, size of hips, prickles, leaves, growth habit), but for the color. Hips are orange.
Most likely an OP. Yes. PP have very distinct rugosa-type foliage, that is very concentrated, more dense, and thicker than usual. If this were a non-op hybrid, these unique foliage traits would likely be diluted or changed in some way.
